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Dec. 7, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. – The University of Oklahoma men’s and women’s cross country teams capped off an exciting season as the men’s team competed for a national title, finishing 12th in a 31-team field at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

Coming in to the 2009 season unranked, the youthful men’s team entered the season-ending meet ranked No. 16 in the nation. The women’s team concluded their season at the 2009 Big 12 Championships.

The 2009 season was highlighted by several individual achievements as well. Three runners claimed All-Big 12 honors as Kevin Schwab, Bill Kogel and Rob Sorrell each finished in the top 15 at the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo. The trio also earned All-Midwest Region honors at the NCAA Midwest Regional along with junior Jeremy Sudbury with top-25 finishes. Kogel was also named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

Juniors Rob Sorrell and Jacob Boone, along with redshirt-freshmen Kevin Williams and Bill Kogel were named to the first team Academic All-Big 12 cross country team. For the women, junior Lindsay Pierson and sophomore Molly Ferguson were also named to the first team Academic All-Big 12, while senior Lauren Watson wrapped up second-team honors.

“In review of the entire year, this group has come so far and has done a very special job in building this program to where it is now,” said Univeristy of Oklahoma head coach Martin Smith.

Roy Griak Invitational

The teams started out the season in Minneapolis, Minn., where the men finished second while defeating host and then-No. 17 Minnesota, narrowly missing the team title as then-No. 25 Iowa State took home the Men's Gold Race title by a mere three points, with the women’s team finishing eighth.

In his collegiate debut, Kogel led the Sooner men by completing the 8,000 meter course in a time of 25:06 to finish 10th. Junior Jessica Engel paced the Sooner women with an 11th-place finish, completing the 6,000 meter course in 22:02.

The Sooners' top five runners finished just 14 seconds apart as all five recorded top-21 finishes with Kogel leading the way. Sorrell finished 12th, with a time of 25:08, Schwab finished 14th (25:10), Williams completed the course in 17th (25:15) as Sudbury rounded out scorers in 21st with a time of 25:20.

Chile Pepper Festival

The Sooners competed against top-25 teams for the second consecutive race, the then-No. 23 University of Oklahoma men’s cross country team finished second at the Chili Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., as the Sooner women finished 11th.

Oklahoma was led by Schwab on the men’s side with a fifth-place finish and Watson on the women’s side finishing 29th overall. Schwab was one of three OU men to finish in the top 10 on the 10,000-meter course as Sorrell and Kogel finished sixth and 10th, respectively. Schwab’s time of 29:49.03 paced the Sooner contingent while Sorrell covered the course in a time of 30:02.51 and Kogel in 30:19.11.

With the finish, the Sooners took down host and then-No. 25 Arkansas. It was the second top-25 team that OU defeated on the year as the team took down then-No. 17 Minnesota, coincidentally, at the Gophers’ home meet.

On the women’s side, Watson paced Oklahoma on the 6,000-meter course with a time of 21:58.07 as she finished 29th in the team race. Ferguson (22:46.90) crossed the line next in 61st followed by Pierson (23:03.77) in 81st. Erin Hargens (23:07.23) and Ellen Dobbin (23:44.18) rounded out Oklahoma’s scoring in 84th and 129th, respectively.

Big 12 Cross Country Championships

The then-No. 20 University of Oklahoma men’s cross country team recorded its highest finish ever in the Big 12 Championships as it took third. The performance was also the highest conference finish since the 1980 team took third in the Big 8 Championships as the women’s team finished 12th on the muddy A.L. Gustin Golf Course in Columbia, Mo.

Three runners claimed All-Big 12 honors as Schwab, Kogel and Sorrell each finished in the top 15.

Schwab led the way for OU, pacing the muddy 8,000 meter course with a time of 25:08.32 and finishing sixth overall. The sixth-place finish marks the second-highest individual finish for a Sooner in Big 12 history. Kogel was the next Sooner to cross the finish line with a time of 25:20.65, to finish 10th. Sorrell finished 11th, completing the course with a time of 25:22.12. Schwab and Kogel’s sixth and 10th-place finishes, mark the first time since the creation of the Big 12 that two Sooner runners finished among the top-10 competitors in the same Big 12 Championships.

The Sooner women were led by Watson who paced the 6,000 meter course for OU with a time of 22:58.16 and a 38th-place finish. Hargens (23:54.73) was the next Sooner to complete the course, finishing 70th.

NCAA Midwest Regional

The University of Oklahoma men's cross country team finished second at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Springfield, Mo., to earn an automatic bid to participate in the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

The second-place finish marked the highest team finish in a NCAA Regional by a Sooner men’s team, while four Sooners claimed All-Midwest Region honors Saturday as Schwab, Kogel and Sorrell and Sudbury each finished in the top 25.

Schwab paced the 10,000 meter course for the Sooner men, completing the course with a time of 30:52.0 and a third-place finish. Sorrell, the team's captain, finished just short of Schwab crossing the finish line in fourth place with a time of 30:53.4. Bill Kogel (31:18.8) finished 19th and Sudbury (31:32.0) finishing 22nd.

Schwab and Sorrell's third and fourth-place finishes, marked the first time in school history that two Sooner runners finished among the top-five competitors in the same NCAA Regional.

Watson and Ferguson competed individually for the Sooner women’s team, with Watson pacing the 6,000 meter course with a time of 22:22.2, finishing 60th. Ferguson completed the course in 23:11.5, finishing 94th.

NCAA Cross Country Championships

Entering the meet ranked 16th nationally, The University of Oklahoma men’s cross country team, finished 12th out of a 31-team field at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

Schwab paced the 10,000-meter LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course for the Sooners finishing 62nd overall with a time of 30:34.7. Sorrell, the team’s captain, was the next Sooner to cross the finish line with a time of 30:39.9, finishing 73rd. Kogel, the 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, finished 99th with a time of 30:57.5.

Schwab and Sorrell were the 9th and 11th runners to cross the finish line from the Big 12 with Kogel following close behind at 14th. As a team, the Sooners finished third among Big 12 schools also competing, falling to Oklahoma State, who took the team national title, and Colorado, who finished first and sixth respectively.

Rounding off the scoring for the Sooners were Williams who finished 105th overall with a time of 31:00.2 and junior Clay Mayes who finished 143rd overall with a time of 31:19.4.

The up and coming Sooner men’s team currently has no seniors on the roster and will be returning all athletes for the 2010 cross country season.